Festivals Do Not Make for Ideal First Dates
by Blade Quill
Summary: Part 1 of Violet Starscape: When news of Takasugi Shinsuke arriving in Edo in time for the 20th anniversary festivities reaches Matsudaira, he enlists help from the legendary Umibozu. 16-year old alien hunter prodigy Kagura arrives in Edo and is assigned to work alongside the Shinsengumi on behalf of her father. [Ep 17 AU]
1. Chapter 1

The Shinsengumi officers sat in the official meeting room inside their compound, none of them saying a word. The troops were out patrolling or carrying out various duties around HQ, leaving the Commander, Kondo Isao, Vice Commander, Hijikata Toshirou, and the Ten Division Captains to attend the meeting which had been called by Matsudaira Katakuriko, the Police Commissioner of Edo. They were all currently awaiting Matsudaira's arrival, who had only said that it was a matter of utmost importance and all officers had to be there.

They had been all waiting for almost an hour when they heard Yamazaki Sagaru escort Matsudaira into the meeting. He entered the room and stood facing all of them, lighting his cigarette as he surveyed them through his sunglasses.

"Good work getting here on time," he said, missing the dark looks on the faces of officers who had been waiting for an hour.

"Totsan, what is this about?" asked Kondo. "Is everything alright?"

Matsudaira took a large drag of his cigarette and exhaled. "Takasugi Shinsuke has left Kyo and is rumoured to be coming to Edo," he said.

"Takasugi?" asked Hijikata, sitting up slightly. "The leader of the Kiheitai who murdered all those Bakufu officials in Kyo?"

"Yeah, him," said Matsudaira, looking very much like he wanted to spit just at the mention of the man's name.

"Why's he coming to Edo?" asked Okita Sougo, Captain of the First Division.

"Don't know, but one week from now, there will be a festival celebrating the 20th anniversary of the end of our isolationist policy," said Matsudaira. "The Shogun will be attending the celebration here in Edo, and leaving the palace."

"If Takasugi wants to make a move, that would be the ideal time," said Hijikata, realising what he was getting at.

"Totsan, do you think Takasugi will attack the Shogun?" asked Kondo.

"I do," said Matsudaira. "That's why I'm assigning the Shinsengumi to protect Shogun-sama. Devote all your troops to it."

"What about catching Takasugi?" asked Sougo. "Shouldn't we be placing some people on that?"

"That's what I'm here about," said Matsudaira. "With the festival and taking care of Edo, Shinsengumi resources will be spread thin. So, I reached out for some help." He turned around and looked at the open door behind him. "You can come in."

The Shinsengumi officers watched as a figure holding a violet umbrella entered the room. Due to the heavy grey cape covering their entire body from the shoulder down and a thick scarf around their neck, it was hard to tell who it was. Their face was wrapped in bandages, the hood of the cape covered their head, and a pair of pilot's goggles sat on their eyes, obscuring the rest of their face. All in all, it was difficult to tell if the person was a man or a woman, or even a human or Amanto.

"Looks like he needs a hospital more than anything," said Sougo.

"Rude," said the figure, and every single person in the room jumped at the voice of what was apparently a young girl. She, for it had to be a she, began unravelling the bandages, dropping them down on the floor, and lowered her hood, revealing long vermillion hair and extremely pale skin. She removed her glasses as big, blue eyes glared at them, and when she dropped her cape and scarf, there was an audible gasp at the sight of the rather attractive girl dressed in a white cheongsam with red fastenings and piping. There was a slit in her cheongsam going all the way up to her waist on her right side, and she wore long black socks that went to halfway up her thighs.

"Totsan," began Hijikata, but Matsudaira spoke before he could even ask.

"This is Kagura-san, a Yato and the daughter of the legendary alien hunter, Umibozu," said Matsudaira.

"Umibozu?" asked Kondo, his eyes going wide. "Really?"

"I reached out to him for his help, and he sent along Kagura-san to assist," said Matsudaira. "She is only 16 but is already known as a prodigy across the galaxy, and she has agreed to work with the Shinsengumi for the time being."

"She's still a kid, Totsan," said Hijikata, looking at the girl, who levelled a glare at him.

"Uh, who's Umibozu?" asked Harada, the baldheaded 10th division captain as several other officers also looked curious. "And Yato are Amanto, aren't they?"

"Umibozu is one of the best alien hunters in the business," said Kondo, admiration evident in his tone.

"As for the Yato, they are a warrior race," said Sougo, eyeing Kagura with a look of disinterest. "Supposed to be the strongest and mightiest race of warriors in the universe."

Kagura turned her glare on him, eyes narrowing. He smirked at her in challenge, and his hand moved to his sword.

In a blink, there was a gust of wind as the two flew towards each other. The officers, including Kondo, Hijikata and Matsudaira were knocked back by sheer force and when they were able to collect themselves to see what had happened, they saw Sougo and Kagura standing on the low table in the middle of the room, his sword blocked by the violet umbrella in her hand.

"Sougo!" shouted Kondo, but Hijikata caught his shoulder. "Wait. Let's just see what happens."

Seeing things were at an apparent stalemate, Kagura backed off a little and swiped Sougo's legs from under him and when he went down, she threw a punch at his head. He managed to dodge it, and her fist punched through the table, down through the floor, splintering the wooden floorboard underneath the tatami mat. Sensing a chance, Sougo thrust with his katana, barely grazing her front as she vaulted back nimbly and kicked Sougo in the chest, sending him flying into the far wall, which cracked. He raised his gaze to her and spit blood from his mouth, while she glanced down to see he had managed to cut her across the stomach, and it was a shallow wound that had barely broken skin, but had managed to stain her white cheongsam scarlet.

Sougo smirked at her once again and jumped away from the wall to land on his feet. Kagura readied her attack stance, but Kondo stood up. "Sougo, enough," he said, and he obeyed, slowly sheathing his katana as he kept his gaze sharp on Kagura. "You too, Kagura-san."

Kagura nodded and jumped down from the table, returning to stand next to Matsudaira. Glancing around, there was a look of shock on everyone's faces as they looked at the broken table, floor and wall, caused by the girl who couldn't be taller than 160 cm. Not to mention, she had taken on Okita _taichou_ , the best fighter in Shinsengumi and he'd only been able to land a single scratch on her while she'd sent him flying into a wall.

"I apologise for the mess," said Kagura, looking at Kondo. "I tried to hold back as best I could."

That brought a further round of shock. This destruction had been her holding back?

"Yato are very powerful," said Matsudaira, smoking calmly without missing a beat. "I've seen one of them slaughter entire troops with nothing but their bare hands."

Hijikata cleared his throat. "I can see why you'd want us to work with them," he conceded. "But is it really necessary?"

"Takasugi is a beast that needs to be put down," said Matsudaira.

"So you brought in a China beast," said Sougo. His mood seemed to have soured further upon hearing that she'd held back during their fight.

Kagura glared at him, and he merely smirked at her, irking her further.

"She's working with you, and that's that," said Matsudaira. "Make her feel welcome and have the guest quarters set up for the lady to use."

"You want her to stay here?" asked Hijikata, shocked. "A young woman around all these men?"

"Hijikata-san, if anything it would be our men who'd need protecting from the beast," said Sougo, lazily.

"Shut up, Sougo," said Hijikata, while Kagura looked like she wanted to tear his throat out with her bare hands.

"It will be done, Totsan," said Kondo, standing up. He looked at Kagura and bowed. "Thank you for your assistance, and we look forward to working with you."

Kagura nodded and bowed briefly. "I do, as well," she said.

* * *

Rumours began circling in the hour after Kagura's initial arrival. The fact that a female Amanto, a Yato at that, was now living on the Shinsengumi compound was already a source of gossip, but that she'd apparently beaten Sougo in a fight was also being discussed thoroughly.

"There's just no way," discussed the people by the vending machines. "Okita _taichou_ will not lose to anyone, least of all a girl."

"I'm telling you, all the officers, and the Chief and Vice Chief were there with Totsan," said another. "It definitely happened. The meeting room is being rebuilt now and the table has to be replaced."

"She punched a hole through the floor!"

"I heard she threw Okita _taichou_ through several walls."

And on and on it went growing more elaborate with each retelling, though Kagura heard none of it. She was currently in the process of unpacking her meagre belongings. The nature of her job meant that she travelled light, and she was slightly mad that the fight earlier had ruined her favourite battle cheongsam. With a sigh, she set it aside, and changed into one identical to it. She always wore the white one in battle, and whenever she had some downtime, she had a few ones that were red with gold piping.

The room she had been assigned to was simple, but it was her own and she even had a private bathroom with her own bath since she couldn't very well share with the men. She wouldn't have minded, but Hijikata and Kondo had insisted on it. Kagura honestly didn't know what to think of the Shinsengumi men. It was her first time on Earth, and the people were stranger than she was expecting. Still, Papi had entrusted her with this job, and she was going to see it through, especially since if she was successful, it would mark the end of her training.

Having left Rakuyo with her father after the death of her mother, Kagura had been training since she was 12, and four years later, she could hold her own in a fight easily, though her temper still got the better of her sometimes. It had taken every ounce of training to not strangle that sadistic Sougo bastard after his remarks. She finished getting dressed and combed her hair, tying a section of it into a bun on one side of her head while the rest of it flowed freely down to her waist. Still, she felt that it had been her first interesting fight in months. He had actually landed a hit on her, the slash which had now healed, and not even a scar had been left behind.

There was a knock on her door, and Kagura slid it open. "Yes?" she asked, noticing that it was the same man that had led her and Matsudaira inside when they'd first arrived.

"Y-yamazaki S-sagaru," he stuttered, his face red as he saluted stiffly. "Chief wanted me to invite you to introduce to everyone."

Kagura raised an eyebrow at the oddly constructed sentence but nodded. "Let's go," she said, taking her umbrella but leaving her cape and things behind since they were indoors and it was overcast outside anyway.

"Yes!" squeaked Yamazaki, and started leading the way.

Kagura glanced around at the empty courtyard as they walked around the exterior of the structure to walk to a separate building across the yard but still within the compound's boundaries. As she got closer, Kagura realised that it was a dojo, presumably used for training by the Shinsengumi members. The room went silent when she entered behind Yamazaki, and she took quick stock of people in the room, using her Yato blood the way her father had taught her.

It was about what she expected of a police force. They were skilled enough, some of them more than others, but nothing extraordinary. The ones to watch out for were definitely that Sadist and Hijikata, and perhaps, Kondo to some extent, along with the man with the absurdly orange afro who had been in the meeting earlier.

"Ah, Kagura-san, please come in," said Kondo, when he spotted her. He had changed out of his uniform and was in his training clothes, as were most people in the dojo, though Hijikata was still in his uniform.

Kagura went up to Kondo, glaring at the Sadist as she passed who glared right back at her.

"Everyone, this is Kagura-san, and she will be our guest for the time being, and assisting with our newest mission," said Kondo, looking at his men. "Please treat her with respect as a fellow warrior."

Kagura thought that was rather unlikely, noticing how their gazes seemed to rove over her. Her father would have killed every single one of them for looking at her like that. He had maimed quite a few people after Kagura had started 'developing' since last year. There was usually a way to set things straight in these matters, though.

"Chief," said Kagura, turning to Kondo. "I would like to train with your men, if that's okay."

"Er," Kondo visibly hesitated. "Aren't you still injured?"

"I have already healed," she said. "Not even a scar."

"Yato healing is that fast?" asked Hijikata, slightly interested.

Kagura nodded at him. "So, how about it?" she asked, her smile becoming the tiniest bit sharper.

* * *

"Let her do it, Kondo-san," said Hijikata, lighting a cigarette.

He had noticed the way she had been appraised when she'd walked in, and he wanted nothing more than for her to put his men in place. They were warriors first, above all, and had no business treating someone as skilled as her as a woman from Yoshiwara. Well, they had no business treating any woman like that, but especially not someone who could probably decimate the entire force by herself.

"Toshi," said Kondo, but then nodded. "Very well. Choose your opponent, Kagura-san."

She glanced around. "Let's start with three at a time, and see how we go," she said, easily.

"Three?" asked Kondo.

"You heard her," barked Hijikata. "Three at a time."

He stood against the wall that would give him a full view of the fights as three men from the seventh division eagerly rushed forward. Damned idiots, thought Hijikata. If she had been looking at him the way she was looking at the three idiots, he would have already drawn his sword and prayed that he had kept his will updated. He glanced at Sougo, who had joined him to watch the fight, but for once had his attention entirely focused on her as opposed to killing him. Hijikata almost smiled at that. Sougo's ego had taken a huge hit, but in a way Hijikata was glad because it would mean he had a rival who would push him further, since he'd already surpassed pretty much everyone in the Shinsengumi. Even he could only beat Sougo very, very occasionally in fights these days.

"Begin," ordered Kondo.

It was over in an instant. The three idiots charged at the same time, and she swung her umbrella once, hitting all three and sending them flying to the other end of the dojo to land against the wall and crumple to the floor, out cold.

"Next!" she called.

Good, thought Hijikata, as the men began to register fear. The next group of three came with their swords drawn, though still not as cautious as the situation warranted.

Instead of attacking in droves, one charged ahead on a head on attack, which she intercepted. While he had her busy, the other two tried to attack from behind. Big mistake, thought Hijikata, as she smiled angelically and flipped gracefully to jump on the guy's head to knock him into the ground. In the same motion, she swung her leg in a roundhouse kick, and hit both of the assailants from behind, sending them flying to the wall near Hijikata. He didn't even flinch as they landed in a heap next to him, and a moment later, she picked up the man she'd knocked down first and tossed him with his comrades.

"Next!"

And on and on it went. The longer it went on, the more fearful and serious the men got, realising quickly that when Kondo-san had said warrior, he'd meant it. At some point, one of the groups had managed to disarm her by knocking her umbrella out of reach.

"That won't work," murmured Sougo, and Hijikata had to agree, as she proved that she was even stronger when fighting barehanded.

It took until the seventh group of threes to land a hit on her and even that had been when she'd grabbed the blade in her hand and used the sword to draw the attacker close before headbutting him to knock him out. The wound had been deep, but she hadn't even seemed to notice. The next hit had come in the group after that with a slash to her arm, but once again, she paid it no mind and continued fighting. After about fifty people had their ass handed to them, Hijikata finished his third cigarette.

"That's enough for today," he said.

Kagura paused and glanced at him. He noticed that her breathing was a little laboured, but certainly not as much as it should have been after fighting over fifty trained Shinsengumi members.

"Do you need your injuries treated?" asked Kondo, ever the concerned one.

She glanced down at her palm, which seemed to be her most serious injury and shook her head. "It's already started healing," she said, holding up her palm to see.

And indeed it was. The wound had already closed, and had rough scar tissue on it as if she'd incurred it four days ago, instead of forty minutes ago. This seemingly innocuous tiny slip of a girl was indeed a powerful Amanto of the mightiest warrior race.

"She held back even more," said Sougo, and Hijikata wasn't sure if he was meant to hear that.

"Good thing too," he said, anyway, and Sougo looked at him curiously. "If she'd even fought at the level she fought with you, we'd be dealing with a whole lot of them out of commission. We need every man we can get for the festival, so I'm sure she was mindful enough not to injure them too seriously."

"Tch," said Sougo, glaring at Kagura as she used a clean towel offered to her by Kondo to wipe her face of sweat. "I want to fight her unrestrained."

"After the mission," stressed Hijikata. "You can put yourself in the hospital for a month if you want."

Sougo grinned at him darkly. "Do you think I'll lose so badly to that beast?" he asked.

"No, it would be longer than a month."

Hijikata looked to see that she had joined them, her glare fixed on Sougo, who glared back at her, and Hijikata swore there were literal sparks flying between their hostile gazes.

"Good fighting out there," said Hijikata, wanting to diffuse the tension before the two monsters actually started fighting. "Thank you for putting the idiots in their place. Hopefully they will be more focused in training from tomorrow."

"Uh, Vice Chief," called Yamazaki.

"What?" asked Hijikata, looking over Kagura's shoulder and noticing that all of the men were standing in formation behind her.

"K-kagura-san," stuttered Yamazaki, and Kagura turned around, her eyes going wide.

"Alright, men," said Kondo. "Go ahead."

In unison, the entirety of the Shinsengumi men, bar Kondo, Hijikata and Sougo bowed to her. "We are sorry for our disrespectful actions," they intoned as one. "Please continue training with us as a fellow warrior."

"Right," said Kagura, looking very surprised. "Sure." They all stood back up again, and Kondo dismissed them. "Huh," she said. "I have never been apologised to before, especially after beating someone up."

Hijikata had to wonder what the hell kind of life a kid like her had led for such a common gesture of kindness and courtesy to be uncommon for her.

Sougo grinned evilly at her. "Personally, I like it when people grovel after they lose to me," he said, keeping his gaze fixed on her.

"That's because you're a sadist, Sadist," she shot right back.

"Takes one to know one, China," he said.

"I have a name," she said.

"So do I," he snapped.

The two of them glared at each other again, almost baring their teeth, and Hijikata sighed as he grabbed the back of Sougo's collar. "Go do your paperwork," he ordered.

Sougo glared viciously at Hijikata. "Please go and die, Hijikata-san," he said.

"After the festival," said Hijikata, dismissively. Fortunately, Kondo decided to approach them at that moment.

"Kagura-san, you must be hungry. It's almost time for dinner. Please come and join us," he said.

"Sure," she said. "I'll be there soon."

With that, she nodded at all of them and left, picking up her umbrella on her way out. Most of the others had left already, and Hijikata almost smiled as the ones left behind flinched ever so slightly as she passed them.

This had been an evening well-spent.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days saw Kagura settling in with the Shinsengumi, and beginning to adjust to life in Edo, temporary as it was. Until the day of the festival, there really wasn't anything particular for her to do, since Shinsengumi spies had already been dispatched in order to find Takasugi, should he enter Edo. Kagura had attended meetings with the officers as Hijikata relayed reports from the spies, which had no concrete evidence of Takasugi being in Edo, but there had been several alleged sightings around town.

Going off of those leads, Kagura examined the locations where he was meant to have been seen, but there really wasn't anything specific there for her to find. If he was in Edo, he was keeping a low profile, and his plan was likely to not engage in a direct confrontation. She did not share her findings with the Shinsengumi, mostly because she was unsure how to explain her Yato instincts to them. Hell, she barely even understood it herself. Being a Yato gave them the ability to assess people through their scent, but part of training was to be able to 'see' with her Yato blood.

Kagura remembered the agonising hours of training with her father to learn how to control her blood, without being consumed by it. Embracing the Yato nature was like walking a razor thin line between sanity and insanity, control and chaos. A single slip up and it would be over before it could be understood.

"It's not as bad for most Yato," her dad had explained once. "But the higher your potential, the thinner the line is."

Kagura thought that rather explained her brother and his actions, but didn't say it out loud. Kamui was still a sore subject for Umibozu, and her too, if she were being honest. The most important part of controlling that blood meant that it could be used as an additional sense during times of combat. She was still learning to master it, and could only use it when she could concentrate and focus properly.

It was around her fourth day in Edo, when she realised she was being followed. It was an extremely sunny day, and she was walking around with her umbrella to prevent herself from burning to a crisp. Her destination was a bridge where Takasugi had been apparently spotted, but as she got there, she realised she was being watched. Sure enough, Sougo emerged from the crowd and gave her a scrutinising look.

"What are you doing here, China?" he asked, hands stuffed in his pockets as he eyed her lazily.

"Talking a walk," she said, without missing a beat. "What are you doing here? Don't you have places to patrol?"

"I am patrolling," he said. "This happens to be part of my beat."

"Then get back to it," she said, getting ready to leave.

"Did you come here to find leads on Takasugi?" he asked, stepping in her path.

She glared at him, but realised that she couldn't very well fight him, now that they were in public and in a fairly crowded part of town at that. "How exactly will I find leads on him here?" she asked.

"You have been visiting locations where he's been spotted," he said.

Kagura's eyes went wide, wondering how he'd known. Had she really not noticed him tailing her? "How do you even-?" she began, and he smirked.

"I didn't, but thanks for confirming it," he said.

She repressed a growl of irritation. She was in no mood for his games. He had made life as difficult as possible for her in the past four days, constantly dropping snide remarks, challenging her to fights at every possible moment, and just being generally annoying with his face and presence.

"What do you expect to find anyway?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious for once.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm heading back."

"If you know something, you should share," he said, fixing her with a stern gaze that she was not used to seeing from him.

Kagura crossed her arms. "If there was something to share, I would," she said.

He seemed to consider her response, and nodded. Kagura was slightly surprised, both at his seriousness and the fact that he'd believed her. She walked past him, deciding to return to the compound. It was still early but the sun overhead was only getting hotter, and she wanted to get out of it. However, she had barely left the area when she felt someone following her. She whirled around, intending to fight the Sadist, whether they were in public or not, but was surprised when she saw that it was Kondo.

"Ah, Kagura-san," he said, in surprise when he saw her.

"Chief, what are you doing?" asked Kagura, raising an eyebrow.

"Er, I…" he looked around sheepishly, but then looked at someone over her shoulder and shrunk into shadows.

"No point, I already saw you," said a female voice, and Kagura turned around as a woman in a peach coloured kimono approached them. She was a few years older than Kagura, and very pretty with brown hair in a ponytail and a bright smile on her face. Without missing a beat, she walked right past Kagura and sent Kondo flying with a single punch to the face.

Kagura immediately felt like she had found her favourite person in Edo. "Hello," she said. "Was the Chief stalking you?"

"Chief?" she asked, looking at Kagura curiously. "You're Shinsengumi?"

"Not really, I'm just working with them on something," she said. "I'm Kagura."

"Shimura Tae," she said, introducing herself with a smile, that was much more genuine. "Yeah, the gorilla has been stalking me for a while now."

"Want me to hurt him?" asked Kagura, eagerly.

She laughed. "I appreciate the offer, Kagura-chan, but I can handle him just fine," she said, her smile becoming fixed when they heard a familiar voice once again.

"Otae-san, that was very mean," said Kondo, returning to them as he sported a fresh bruise on his face. "Ah, you met Kagura-san, did you?"

"Go away, gorilla, or I will be punching somewhere much worse next," said Otae, before smiling much more genuinely at Kagura. "Come on, Kagura-chan, let's get some Baagen Daz."

"What's that?" asked Kagura, as Otae took her arm and led her in the direction of a family restaurant.

"The best thing ever," said Otae, pausing briefly to glare viciously at Kondo, who had followed them.

Fortunately, he didn't decide to follow them into the restaurant, though he did stare creepily at them through the window.

"Just ignore him, and then he just becomes part of the scenery," said Otae, noticing Kagura's discomfort.

"It's just weird," she said. "I didn't think he was that kind of a man. He's usually very level-headed around his men."

"Sure, but men are fools, so who knows what's really going on with them," said Otae, asking the waitress to bring them both a serving each of Baagen Daz. "Are you an Amanto, Kagura-chan?"

"How could you tell?" asked Kagura.

"You're really pale," said Otae. "You could be a foreigner, but it's more likely that you're an Amanto."

"Yes," she said. "I'm a Yato."

"Yato?" asked Otae, curiously.

"I'm really strong," grinned Kagura.

Otae smiled back at her fondly. "Ah, I see," she said. "That's good."

The waitress brought them their Baagen Daz, and Kagura's eyes lit up at the sight of ice cream. Otae noted her pleased face with a bright grin.

"Let's dig in."

* * *

Kagura ended up spending the entire day with Otae, who answered many questions that she had about Edo. She learned that Otae was trying to save her father's dojo with the help of her brother, who was apparently an apprentice to a samurai in Kabukicho. That was the first time she heard the name Yorozuya.

"So, they just do whatever people ask them to do?" asked Kagura, curiously. "Sounds a bit like being an alien hunter."

Otae laughed merrily at that. "Maybe," she said. "I don't think it pays as well, though."

"Alien hunting doesn't pay much," said Kagura, bluntly. "I would make much more if I joined the Harusame pirates or a mercenary unit. Alien hunters are often paid by people who send for our help, and they can only manage to pay a little, particularly if they don't have much to begin with."

"Still, you do it to help people, don't you?" asked Otae, shrewdly.

"I suppose," said Kagura, considering it. "There really wasn't anything else I wanted to do, and being a Yato does narrow what careers I can choose."

"Sure, but you're young still," said Otae. "You might find other things that you want to do."

"Maybe," conceded Kagura.

Otae smiled, but then glanced at the time. "Oh, I'm sorry to cut our time short, but I have to get ready for work," she said.

"Work?" asked Kagura.

"I work at Snack Smile," said Otae. "It's a hostess bar."

"What's that?" asked Kagura, curiously.

"A place where men come to drink and have beautiful women talk to them for money," said Otae, bluntly.

"Really?" asked Kagura. "I haven't really heard of anything like it before."

"There are quite a few around Kabukicho, but you're a bit young to go to them," said Otae, as the sun started going down. "It was really nice to meet you, Kagura-chan. I hope we can see each other again while you're in Edo."

"I hope so too, _anego_ ," said Kagura, having given her the nickname halfway through the day. "Thank you for spending time with me today, and for feeding me Baagen Daz."

"You're welcome," beamed Otae, and waved goodbye. "See you around."

Otae left for work, and Kagura walked through the cooling evening air to return to the Shinsengumi compound. It was the best day she'd had since coming to Edo, having met Otae who was strong, wise, and willing to listen to Kagura. She realised that she hadn't really opened up to people that weren't family, and even then, it had only ever been her mother. Her father was more like a teacher than a confidant, though he tried his best to relate to her. But not having friends her age had been a little lonely. Speaking with Otae had eased that loneliness considerably, and Kagura was glad to have gained something akin to an older sister in her.

Her good mood was evident when she was training with the Shinsengumi men after dinner, because she utterly annihilated all her opponents, without dropping the smile that had been on her face since she had met Otae.

"Stop making that face, you'll make me hurl, China."

That did it. Kagura scowled at him as he dropped that remark while she was sitting on the _engawa_ in front of her room, enjoying the peaceful night.

"Go away," she said.

He crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby column. "Make me," he said.

Kagura wished she had her umbrella handy so she could have shot at him, because she was in no mood to get into a hand to hand fight at the moment, especially since all the sparring earlier had exhausted even her.

"Don't you have like small animals or children to torture, or whatever it is you do in your spare time?" she asked, instead.

"I'm torturing a beast right now," he said, with a sadistic smile.

Okay, she was going to kill him, but she was spared having to do it, as Yamazaki stumbled over to them. "Okita _taichou_ , Kagura-san, the Vice Chief is asking to see you both," he said.

"Tch, what does that Mayora want?" muttered Sougo.

Kagura agreed with the Mayora comment, having been disgusted with the Vice Chief's love for mayonnaise since she'd first seen him slather his entire plate of food with the stuff. Still, she liked the demon Vice Chief, mostly because Sougo apparently hated him and tried to kill him at every chance he got. She was yet to fight with him, and was eager to see how he'd hold out in a fight with her.

It turned out to be another briefing with Kondo, Hijikata, Sougo and Kagura in attendance, as the strategies and plans for the day of the festival were put in place. Both Hijikata and Kondo would be near the Shogun's party, with handpicked teams of officers and best fighters. The spies would be running interference, and long distance fighters were assigned all around the festival grounds in various strategic positions.

"If Takasugi does attack, Kagura-san should be near the Shogun as well," said Kondo.

Kagura shook her head. "If Takasugi attacks, it won't be so direct," she said, nearly forgetting that she wasn't supposed to mention that.

All eyes turned to her. "What do you mean?" asked Hijikata.

Kagura could have smacked herself for being so careless. It had been the Sadist's fault for getting her all riled up before the meeting. Quickly, she racked her brains for a reasonable explanation. "It would be better for me to move around freely," she said.

"That doesn't answer the question, China," said the Sadist. "Do you know something about Takasugi?"

Kagura wanted to break every bone in his body with her bare hands. "No, I don't," she said. "But we have a sense for these sorts of things."

"Eh?" asked Sougo, extending the syllable to express disbelief. "Is this the famous women's intuition?"

"It's not women's intuition, it's Yato instinct," snapped Kagura. "The same one I use in combat."

"Kondo-san, this sounds stupid to me," said Sougo.

"Hang on, Sougo, just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't real," said Kondo, sounding like an actual leader instead of the weirdo stalker from today.

"What will work best for you?" asked Hijikata, looking at Kagura.

"I can blend in with the crowd easily," said Kagura. "I saw the crime scene photos of the massacre Takasugi committed in Kyo. If anyone with that kind of bloodlust is around, I will be led to them easily. It would be better if I'm mobile instead of around the clustered formation near the Shogun."

"She's like an attack dog," said Sougo with a grin, dodging as Kagura threw a punch in his general direction without even looking.

Hijikata ignored him and considered Kagura's words. "Fine," he said. "Sougo, you're joining her."

"What?" asked Kagura, shocked, as Sougo made a sound of displeasure.

"I am trusting your instinct and your abilities as a Yato and as a warrior," said Hijikata, meeting her gaze squarely. "But, Takasugi is still dangerous. Even if you are not officially a member of the Shinsengumi, I cannot send out one of my own without someone to watch their backs."

"Hijikata-san, I don't think the beast needs somebody to watch her back," said Sougo, lazily. "You might want to get someone to hold her back instead."

Kagura paid him no mind. "I said I can blend into the crowd easily," she said. "If there's a cop with me, there's no point to me blending in."

"Right," said Hijikata. "Sougo, dress in civilian clothes."

"Oh, good idea, Toshi," said Kondo, nodding approvingly. "The two of you can pretend to be on a date."

The twin glares he received simultaneously from Kagura and Sougo would haunt Kondo for the next month or so. At the very least.

* * *

The day before the festival, Kagura dressed in her casual red cheongsam and went shopping. Now that the stupid date idea had been adopted as an official strategy, she needed to look the part of a sixteen year old Edo girl, and not like an alien hunting Yato that she was. She wished Otae could have come with her, but she apparently had some work to take care of, though she'd given Kagura the address of some reasonably priced clothing stores around Edo.

The shops were bursting with colourful kimono for the upcoming festival, but Kagura went to the first shop on the list that Otae had given her.

"Ah, welcome," said the bespectacled guy behind the counter. He had to be around her age and was as plain as could be. "Can I help you find something, Miss?"

"No, I'll look around by myself," said Kagura, casting a quick look at his ordinary white and blue kimono with twin stripes and deciding she would be better off getting fashion advice from Kondo.

"Oi, oi, Patsuan, you can't be so aggressive," said a lazy voice, and Kagura glanced towards it, noticing a silver permed man lazing around on the boxes at the back of the store. He had a vacant look in his dead fish eyes, and a bokuto at his waist, looking completely relaxed, and yet every instinct of Kagura's lit up, and she crouched in her attack form without missing a beat. He raised his eyebrows at her and slowly stood up while picking his nose.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "No one's going to hurt you."

Kagura wanted to believe him, but he smelled dangerous, like he had been steeped in war and bloodshed. She didn't relax her stance, eyes narrowing as he started approaching her.

"Gin-san! Stop it, you're scaring her," said the guy at the counter.

"I really mean it," he said, keeping his gaze on Kagura. "I'm not going to attack you." Slowly, Kagura relaxed her stance, and he smiled at her. "You're not an ordinary little girl, are you?"

"I'm a Yato," she said. "My name's Kagura."

"Sakata Gintoki, and that pair of glasses back there is Shimura Shinpachi," he said.

"Shimura? Like _anego_?" she asked, turning her head just slightly to look at Shinpachi while still being wary of Gintoki.

"Ane-? Ah, you must be Kagura-chan. _Aneue_ mentioned you might be stopping by here today," said Shinpachi. "Gin-san, remember? She's working with the Shinsengumi."

"What has the world come to?" shrugged Gintoki. "The tax robbers are dragging in little girls to fight their battles."

"Who are you calling a little girl?" asked Kagura, glaring at him. He grinned at having successfully teased her, and Kagura realised that the last bit of tension had left her. "Wait, you two are the Yorozuya, aren't you? What are you doing in this shop?"

"The proprietor's wife is having a baby, so they're at the hospital. They hired us to work here for today, until a relative can come and run the shop for the next few days," explained Shinpachi.

"That doesn't mean we don't know how to give fashion advice," said Gintoki. "What about this one?" he asked, picking up a horrid lime green monstrosity.

"I would rather die," said Kagura, without missing a beat. "Although considering the occasion, I would rather kill my date instead."

"Aren't you a little young to date?" asked Gintoki.

"I'm 16," snapped Kagura. "And it's not a real date. It's for...a bet."

She lied at the end, knowing she couldn't very well reveal any of the Shinsengumi's strategies. The entrance bell tinkled, and as Shinpachi welcomed in the new customer, Kagura froze when she heard the familiar drawl.

"Ah, _danna_ , what are you doing here?" asked Sougo, looking at Gintoki before he saw Kagura. "Did you meet the China beast already?"

"Say, can I hire the Yorozuya to help me get rid of his corpse after I kill him?" asked Kagura, paying him no attention and walking away to look at clothes.

"I could arrest you for planning to kill the police officer right in front of him," said Sougo, following her.

She whirled around and glared at him. "Why are you here?" she asked. "Do you have nothing better to do than stalk me, Sadist?"

He paid no mind to her tantrum and picked out an extremely skimpy dress, that could hardly be called a kimono anymore. "You should wear this one," he said, holding out it to her.

"Ah, Souichiro-kun, maybe don't antagonise her," said Gintoki. "If she does hire us, Shinpachi and I will probably agree to hide your body, you know."

Kagura smiled at Gintoki for that, and he grinned back at her.

"It's Sougo, _danna_ ," corrected Sougo. "I'm just helping her pick out her outfit for our date."

"Stop calling it that, you freak," snapped Kagura, stomping away to look at some of the more traditional choices.

To her annoyance, both Gintoki and Sougo followed her. "Traditional, eh?" asked Gintoki. "That's always good. Here," he said, showing her an extremely heavy and constricting traditional kimono that would make moving, let alone fighting, utterly impossible.

"Maybe not so traditional," said Kagura, pushing it away as politely as she could.

"Yeah, it's too demure for someone like her," said Sougo.

Kagura scowled at him, knowing he hadn't meant that as a compliment in the slightest.

"How about something like this? You seem to like red."

Kagura looked at Shinpachi as he held out a short red kimono with long sleeves. It was plain and had no design, but when she examined it, she found the fabric rather pleasant, not to mention that it would be easy to move around in it. Perhaps she had underestimated megane.

"I like it," she said, smiling at Shinpachi.

"Too plain."

"Too boring."

"If I wanted opinions, I would have asked," said Kagura, kicking both Gintoki and Sougo in the shins, making them fall to the ground, howling in pain. "I'll buy it, and an obi as well."

"They're over here," said Shinpachi, leading her away, seemingly unconcerned at the two idiots nursing bruised shins and egos.

Kagura picked out a yellow obi, and found thigh high socks like the kind she usually wore with her battle outfit, but these were striped red and black. She brought it to the counter with Shinpachi, who rang up her purchases, which turned out to be less than she had expected.

"Here you go, Kagura-chan," he said, packing her things into a bag for her as she paid him the exact amount from the money her Papi had given her before coming to Earth.

"Thank you, Shinpachi," she said. "I'm sorry I thought you lacked any fashion sense judging by your outfit." He had been looking a little embarrassed at being thanked, but when she said that, he deflated slightly.

"Yeah, you didn't have to say that part," he said.

"If you're done, can we go?" asked Sougo, making his way over to her.

"Why do you think I'm going anywhere with you?" asked Kagura, irritated. She had found everything she'd wanted in terms of her clothes, but she still needed a hair accessory.

"Be grateful you're receiving police protection, brat," said Sougo. "Thanks for your help, _danna_ , _megane_."

"I have a name!" retorted Shinpachi.

"Oi, Okita-kun, are you really going to follow that poor girl around?" asked Gintoki. "Looks to me she can take care of herself." As proof, there was a massive bruise on his shin.

"Can't let a dangerous Amanto run free around Edo," said Sougo.

"Whatever, let's go," said Kagura, tired of arguing with him. She glanced at Gintoki and smiled. "I'll call when I need you to bury his body."

Gintoki waved his hand in goodbye. "As long as you can pay, we'll do it," he said.

Kagura laughed, realising that while her instincts had pointed him out to be someone very dangerous, he was still a good person. The dangerous persona still existed, but it was held back by the carefree man he appeared to most. It reminded Kagura of herself, and meeting Gintoki made her feel something like relief. If someone like him could hold the monster within himself back, then Kagura could too.

* * *

"Gin-san, why do you think she wanted to attack you at first?" asked Shinpachi, after Kagura and Sougo had left, bickering the entire time.

"Who knows?" shrugged Gintoki. "Maybe it's a Yato thing."

" _Aneue_ said she's an alien hunter. A prodigy or something, specially hired by the Shinsengumi for a mission," said Shinpachi. "But she's just a kid, isn't she?"

Gintoki glanced down at the bruise on his leg. No kid could do that, and even he could tell she had been holding back. "Yeah, just a kid. Forced to go on a date with Okita-kun. Wonder what kind of bet she lost," he said, changing the subject.

"I know, right?" said Shinpachi, nodding sympathetically. "Well, as long as it isn't a real date, she should be fine."

"I hope so," said Gintoki. "Your gorilla of a sister has become attached to her, and if something happens, then we might be having to hold her back from murdering a policeman."

Shinpachi laughed, but then looked worried. "You don't think _aneue_ would really hurt Okita-san, would she?" As soon as he said it, he shook his head. "What am I saying? Of course she would."

"Women are scary, Patsuan," said Gintoki, heading back over to the boxes to continue lazing around. "They have gorilla strength and can hire you to hide bodies of people they kill."

"Yeah," agreed Shinpachi. "Women are scary."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N The outfit Kagura is wearing is her Yoshiwara outfit.  
**

The day of the festival dawned bright and sunny, though the atmosphere inside the Shinsengumi compound was as tense as could be. They all attended meetings, and as sunset grew closer, everyone split up for their respective duties.

Kagura went to her room and got dressed in her new kimono. The obi gave her some trouble at first, but Otae had drawn a quick sketch of how to tie one, which made the process a lot easier. She decided to wear the below the knee black combat boots she usually wore, wanting to be comfortable enough to fight. Instead of leaving her hair loose with only a section under the black and gold bun covering on one side of her head like she usually did, she tied her waist length vermillion hair into a single bun on top of her head and used the new kanzashi she had bought to hold it in place. She tried not to think about how that particular purchase had gone.

The Sadist had indeed followed her around while she'd gone looking for hair accessories. No amount of arguing had helped, until Kagura had just given up and let him follow her around, ignoring his suggestions for collars and whatnot which he considered to be accessories.

They had passed a cheap jewellery stall and Kagura looked around eagerly, noting lovely pieces of all sorts.

"Looking for something to wear to the festival, little miss?" the old woman running the stall had asked Kagura.

"Yes," she'd answered. "Something to hold up my hair."

"Ah, it's really long and beautiful, isn't it?" she'd complimented. "There are a few kanzashi I have here."

Kagura looked to where she had indicated, but the hair ornaments were either too flimsy or too elaborate for her taste.

" _Obaasan_ , just give her a poison needle or a chopstick or something," Sougo had commented lazily.

"Ignore the bastard, _obaasan_ ," said Kagura. "But if you do have the poison needle, please give it to me so I can stab him with it."

The old woman had looked confused before laughing. "I don't have a poison needle, but this one is sturdy enough," she'd said, showing her a tama kanzashi with a red bead. "It will look lovely on you."

Kagura had taken it, noted the sturdy metal prong and the solitary pretty bead at the end that would match her kimono, and nodded. Sougo hadn't said anything then, but had spent the rest of the walk back to the compound teasing her for buying girly things when she was only a beast.

Still, Kagura was proud of herself for not stabbing him with her new kanzashi, mostly because she liked the kanzashi and having his blood on it would ruin it. She finished getting dressed, and took her umbrella with her to go to the dojo for the final briefing.

There were looks of surprise when she entered, and Kagura remembered that she hadn't been seen wearing anything but her white battle cheongsam, or her casual red cheongsam around the Shinsengumi men before. In fact, it was her very first time wearing a kimono at all, and she tried not to look nervous, hoping she had made it look like what other girls in Edo usually wore.

She saw Sougo waiting with Kondo, dressed in a caramel brown yukata. Considering the fact that she'd half expected him to be wearing the clothes he wore on his day off, Kagura was relieved that he'd made some effort to look halfway decent.

"Ah, Kagura-san, you look nice," complimented Kondo, with a pleasant smile.

Once again, Kagura wondered how this kind-hearted, slightly bumbling man disappeared and became an obsessive gorilla while Otae was around. "Thank you, Chief," she said.

"Kondo-san, the perimeter units have moved out," said Hijikata, walking up to them. "Sougo, you and Kagura are going up next. Mingle in with the crowd and keep your eyes and ears open for Takasugi. Leave the Shogun and the rest of it to us."

"Understood," said Sougo. "Oi, move it, she-beast."

Kagura ignored him and looked at Hijikata. "My orders didn't mention whether you want Takasugi dead or alive," she said, her demeanour deadly serious.

Hijikata looked startled for a moment at her blunt question but then sighed. "Totsan never specified, but regardless, Takasugi is headed to execution," he said.

"Right," said Kagura, giving him a nod. "Thank for you for clearing that up. Keep up, Sadist." She set off without waiting to see if he followed, but he caught up as they left the dojo. "The Shogun won't be making an appearance for two more hours. So, we have time to walk around and see if I can find Takasugi, right?"

"Are you going to kill him?" he asked her.

Kagura looked at him, and found his gaze straight ahead, a look of seriousness on his face. "If he is as skilled as I think, I might not have a choice," she answered, honestly. "My training forbids killing unless absolutely necessary."

"How does that work?" asked Sougo.

"What do you mean?" asked Kagura.

Sougo met her gaze. "There are people who fight without killing, and for some of us, killing is the only way to fight," he said. "Which one do you fit into?"

"I fight without killing, because my instinct tells me that killing is the only way to fight," said Kagura. She sped up her pace, feeling embarrassed at having revealed something so personal to the Sadist of all people.

He caught up with her easily. "And do you ever give in to your instinct?" he asked. At her look of shock, he shrugged. "One killer to another, answer honestly."

"Not fully, I haven't in a while," she confessed in a small voice. "Yato instinct is more complex than you think. But it doesn't mean I have never killed before."

She expected more questions, but he just nodded, and they continued walking in silence until they got to the festival grounds.

"For what it's worth," he said suddenly. "I think I might fall into the same category as you. I have the instincts of a killer, but my job demands that I do it without killing people if possible. It's annoying." Kagura gaped at the honest confession, but Sougo pointed to a food stall. "Come on, food," he said.

Sufficiently diverted by the promise of food, Kagura forgot what she was about to say to him, and just like that, their fake date had begun.

* * *

Yamazaki Sagaru's Report on the Takasugi Elimination Unit's Activities a.k.a Okita _taichou_ and Kagura-san's date

Written by Yamazaki Sagaru after being blackmailed by the entire Shinsengumi to spy on Okita _taichou_ and Kagura-san's date and write up a report. (This should also serve as my final will if the Vice Chief, or worse Okita _taichou_ or Kagura-san find out about this)

They arrived at the festival grounds together, looking like a proper couple, I think, even though they weren't holding hands, and neither was Kagura-san holding onto Okita _taichou_ 's arm as most couples here seem to be doing. At least they weren't fighting, and were actually talking, but it was too far to hear what they were saying. I am not getting close because if they find me, I'm a dead man.

For the benefit of the units who left before they got to see Okita _taichou_ and Kagura-san this evening, I have been asked to describe how they both look. (If they find this, I am extra dead. Please bury me with my badminton racquet)

Kagura-san looks beautiful, as expected. She is wearing a short red kimono and has her hair up. She looks younger than usual, like an ordinary Edo girl out on a date with her boyfriend. Speaking of whom, Okita _taichou_ is wearing a yukata, and it actually appears new. I wonder if he went shopping to buy it. That thought is slightly disturbing.

Oh, they went to get some ikayaki. I'm going over to the okonomiyaki stall nearby to spy on them. Okita _taichou_ paid for both of them, though he did call her a fat pig and she called him a yapping chihuahua. I don't think they're very convincing as a couple, judging by the looks on the faces of people around them. This okonomiyaki is really good. The aonori on top is just so good.

Crap, I was enjoying my okonomiyaki too much, and they moved on to get yakisoba. There's no good hiding place near the yakisoba stand, but I can see them just eating and not talking at all, so I don't think I'm missing anything important. A passing group of teenage girls just laughed at me. Is there something on my face?

There was aonori on my face. I'm so embarrassed I could die. I wonder if this will kill me before the Vice Chief does if he finds out what I have been doing all evening. Seppuku might be my only option, if the Vice Chief doesn't torture me first. However, if I get caught by Okita _taichou_ , I should just commit seppuku immediately because he will definitely torture me. Kagura-san may not torture me, but even a single punch from her will be like the worst torture, so I think I'd rather just die of embarrassment now.

Their date has been going on for over forty five minutes now, and now they're moving on to the corn on the cob. While I was agonising over my impending demise, they ate takoyaki. Are they going to do anything besides eat?

Wait, they are going towards the game stalls. I wonder if Okita _taichou_ will win prizes for her like a proper boyfriend. At least, that's what movies and shoujo manga have taught me. Oh, they ran into the Yorozuya _danna_ at the last food stall. Kagura-san seems to know him, and she is now talking to him. I'm going to get a little closer to hear their conversation.

Apparently, _danna_ and Shinpachi-kun were running the shop where Kagura-san bought her kimono, and Okita _taichou_ went with her. I think I might have misheard because it sounds like Okita _taichou_ went shopping with Kagura-san, but that's impossible, right? There's no way that happened, right? The okonomiyaki was bad and it's making me hear things, right?

Moving on, they have said their goodbyes and are heading to the game stalls. We are an hour into the date, and they have made their way to the game stalls. There are all sorts of things here, but Kagura-san made Okita _taichou_ buy her a candy apple first. He complained, but paid for it. Is it possible I am following people who only look like them because this is getting more and more like a proper date, and less like a mission.

I take that back. They spent the last fifteen minutes in the shooting gallery, going shot for shot hitting things on the man running the stand. They have started that thing where they compete over everything. Now, they're going ring tossing. It's the same, except this time they are actually throwing the rings at the prizes, instead of the kid running the stand.

They won a whole bunch of prizes but Kagura-san just took both of their winnings and handed them out to kids playing nearby. She is actually kind, isn't she? No way Okita _taichou_ has a chance with someone like her. The performances have begun, which means the Shogun must have arrived a little while ago. There's no sign of Takasugi, and I wonder if those two are even looking considering what they've been doing this whole ti-

There has been an explosion near where the Shogun was. The two of them have run in that direction, and I am ending this report for the time being.

* * *

"What the hell are those things?" asked Hijikata, as they struggled to hold back the attacking robot army. The smoke from all the explosions was making it even harder to see or breathe, but he had seen the extraction unit move out after the first explosion, so he was confident they would get the Shogun out safely.

Still, they had to stop these things if they didn't want civilian casualties on their hands. Just as he thought that, there was a loud explosion, and when the smoke cleared, two extremely pissed off individuals stood atop a wrecked robot.

"The person who disrupted the festival…" growled the figure in red, apparently emanating a red aura of ferocity.

"Who...was...it?" growled the other, an electric blue aura emanating from him.

"It's the spirit of festival-avenging gods," shouted Kondo-san.

"I'm sure that's not it," said Hijikata, shooting him an annoyed look.

The two figures roared in anger and charged at the robot army. The Shinsengumi unit around them watched in awed silence as Sougo and Kagura went berserk, destroying the robots as if they were made of glass. While Sougo sliced through with his sword, Kagura used her bare hands to split the robots in half, the two of them moving in perfect coordination and partnership without saying a single word to each other or even looking at the other person.

"It is!" declared Kondo-san. "It's the spirit of festival-avenging gods. Thank you, spirits!"

Hijikata didn't bother correcting him because at that moment, Kagura tore through the last robot in front of her and suddenly turned back to look in the direction of the stalls. He saw her nose twitch a little, and then with the grace of an animal, she took off in that direction in a full sprint, moving so quickly even through the destroyed junk parts scattered around that Hijikata couldn't even blink or he would lose sight of her. What surprised him even more was that Sougo noticed it too, and as soon as he destroyed the robot in front of him, he took off right after her.

"Oi!" Hijikata ordered the remainder troops. "Destroy the rest of these damn robots, and the rest of you start evacuating the civilians properly. Go!"

The troops sprang into action, and Hijikata charged ahead to attack the robots. Those two seemed to be onto something, so the least they could do was their own damn jobs while they ran their lead down.

There was a loud noise as the main robot on stage went down in a heap, and Hijikata saw that it had been brought down by none other than the silver-haired Yorozuya bastard. Huffing in irritation, he fought his way through the remainder of the robots and junk, but by the time he got there, both the Yorozuya and the old man who'd started this damn thing had vanished.

"Tch," he snapped, irritated. At least, they'd got things under control. He would get Yamazaki to track down the Yorozuya bastard later. Come to think of it, Hijikata hadn't seen Yamazaki at all this evening, and he had to wonder what he had been up to this whole time.

* * *

Sougo was sprinting, his focus narrowed solely on the figure in red running back to where they had come from before the explosions had started. She seemed to be operating completely on instinct alone, her entire body coiled like a beast about to pounce. She stopped suddenly and crouched down on the ground. Sougo came to a stop and followed her gaze to see a significant pool of blood next to the shattered remains of a sword blade.

Wondering what she was seeing, Sougo was surprised when she touched the blood and raised her stained hand to her nose, taking a healthy sniff. Her body coiled further, and Sougo remembered the conversation he had heard Harada and Kamiyama having a day ago.

"Do you know where the name Yato comes from?" Harada had been asking, his tone full of superiority.

"It means night rabbit," said Kamiyama, as expected. He exasperated Sougo to no end, but he knew his stuff at least.

"Yeah, but it's not just a name chosen at random," said Harada, leaning in.

"I assume it's because they are susceptible to heat exhaustion like rabbits," said Kamiyama, clearly not interested.

Harada shook his bald head and grinned. "They are like rabbits in more ways than that," he said. "Not the frightened part, but they have really, really well-honed senses. Their sight, hearing, smell is far, far superior. And did you notice her legs?"

"Huh?" asked Kamiyama, irritated.

So was Sougo, but Harada shook his head. "She is thin and her arms are fairly proportionate to a girl her size, right? But her legs are a different story," he said.

Sougo thought back to the kick that had sent him careening into a wall, and sat up slightly. Her legs were absurdly powerful, just like rabbits had extremely powerful hind legs. He had watched every one of her fights over the past few days, and he'd seen that the rest of her body was light and lithe, allowing for quick movements but her kicks were powerful. Because of those damn cheongsam with the high slits that she wore, it was easy to see that she had extremely toned legs that packed the heaviest attacks.

Kamiyama was reluctantly interested. "That is true," he nodded.

Harada grinned, clearly satisfied with himself. "Oh, want to know what else I heard?" he asked.

"What?" asked Kamiyama.

"Apparently, their lust is like that of rabbits too," he said, and Sougo had then interrupted and put them both through hellish training for that remark.

Looking at her now, he could see the rabbit part. Her nose had twitched a little, and her head was moving in a way reminiscent of an animal seeking out sound, but the expression on her face was nothing like a rabbit's. It was predatory, blue eyes narrowed, lips pulled back over her teeth in a slight snarl, her body arched to attack.

Sougo had a sudden urge to tackle her to the ground. He wanted to fight her. Not like the usual times when she had her mocking smiles and irritated scowls, but this very moment when she was driven by instinct, he wanted to push her down to the ground and fight her. His own instinct was very close to winning out, but then she straightened, and suddenly, she was the irritating China he'd come to know in a week, and not the Yato beast he wanted to fight.

"Oi, you wanna tell me what happened?" he asked, disappointed just the same.

She looked surprised to see him, and he tried not to be insulted that she hadn't even registered his presence. Maybe he should have tackled her after all.

"Whose blood is that?" he asked, wanting to get some answers now that the cop part of him was focusing in and pushing his instinct back.

"No idea," she said.

"Was Takasugi here?" he asked, irritated by her airheadedness.

She focused at last, and frowned. "Not sure," she said. "Something definitely happened here, because the blood has pooled in place. Whoever was cut was standing still, and judging by how much blood is here, it was not just a nosebleed."

Sougo glanced down at the pool of blood and realised that she was right. He glanced around, but the stalls were deserted, as most people had begun fleeing the moment the explosions had begun. He spotted someone walking towards them, and frowned.

" _Danna_ , what are you doing here?" asked Sougo, noticing the silver-haired samurai.

He looked surprised to see him, and Sougo saw Kagura's nose twitch slightly out of the corner of his eye.

"Evacuating," he said, and then glanced down to where they were standing.

"You wouldn't happen to know what happened here, would you?" asked Sougo.

"No idea," he said, walking right past them. "Have fun, kids. It's dangerous to be out late." He waved at them as he walked away, and Sougo remembered that his other hand had been inside the front of his kimono. Before he could ponder on that, they were Kondo met up with them.

"Did you find him? Was Takasugi here?" he asked.

"If he was, he's long gone," said Sougo. "But a robot army doesn't sound like him to start with."

He tried not to think back to China's absurd ramblings about Takasugi being unlikely to attack directly. Had he paid someone else to do it? Threatened them? Sougo was just irritated that she'd apparently been right.

"Right," said Kondo. "The Shogun got out safely, and we had no casualties reported. All the robots were destroyed too. As far as missions go, this one counts as a success."

"B-but we didn't get Takasugi," said Kagura, and Sougo finally realised that she was annoyed at her apparent failure.

Kondo smiled kindly at her. "You and Sougo were crucial in taking down those robots," he said. "Like Sougo said, even if Takasugi were here, you prevented his plan from causing any harm. That counts as a victory."

She still looked unconvinced, but Kondo nodded firmly, and began directing the troops to ensure that the festival grounds were swept for any stragglers before calling it a night.

"Take the win, China," Sougo muttered to her.

She looked at him with a frown. "Yeah, sure," she said. "A win. Right. That's what this is supposed to be."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the lovely reviews and feedback on this story. Unfortunately, some reviews are not showing up on the site (but I can see them in the email) so I'm unable to reply to them. Hopefully, once the issue is fixed, I can reply! In the meantime, please know that I have been reading all of them and they have been encouraging me a great deal!**

Back at the Shinsengumi compound, there was a feast celebrating the successful mission. Food and alcohol flowed freely, but Kagura went through the motions mechanically, her mind completely elsewhere. If anyone saw that she was spaced out, they'd hopefully just assume that she was tired.

At long last, everyone began to disperse and go to bed, and Kagura hurried to her room. She got out of the damned kimono, and untied her hair, changing into her usual red cheongsam, feeling more like herself at once. With a sigh, she stepped out onto the _engawa_ outside her room and looked at the empty courtyard.

Her room was right at the back of the compound, and the courtyard in that part had been declared off limits to everyone except her by Kondo while she was staying there so she could be safe in knowing that there wouldn't be a bunch of men gathering just outside her room. She had thought it to be needlessly protective at the time, but she appreciated the solitude now. There were still sounds coming from the main hall, so Kagura sat and stargazed until the compound grew silent. A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost two thirty in the morning.

Without making a sound, she pulled on her shoes and scaled the wall near her, jumping out onto the street behind the Shinsengumi compound. Her movements had been quick, light and soundless.

Once she was out, Kagura broke out into a straight sprint towards Kabukicho.

* * *

Gintoki was woken up by insistent knocking. Usually, he would have groaned and yelled at the person who was disturbing him before the sun was even up, but his earlier encounter had made him wary.

To his surprise, when he opened the door, he saw Kagura. "Oi, oi, what do you think you're doing? Kids should be in bed at this time of the night," he said, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"I have to talk to you," she said, her face completely serious.

"Can't this wait until morning?" he asked.

"It's about how you injured your hand," she said, and Gintoki raised his eyebrows. He had been holding his injured hand behind the door, so there was no way she would have seen it. But the way she spoke made it apparent that she wasn't bluffing.

"Fine, come in," he said, inviting her in.

She walked inside and closed the door behind her. Gintoki went on ahead and lit a single lamp, hoping none of the neighbours had seen her come here at this time of the night.

Kagura took a seat on the sofa, and Gintoki sat down in his chair. "So?" he asked, putting his feet up on the desk. "What did you want to talk about at...three in the morning?" He checked the time and glared at her in annoyance.

Kagura ignored his glare. "Was he there? Was Takasugi there?" she asked, bluntly.

Gintoki's expression remained unchanged. "What's a Takasugi?" he asked.

"Don't lie, you know him," she said. "Are you related? Or did you grow up together?"

That was coming too close to the damn truth. Gintoki dropped his attitude and sat up. "What is this all about?" he asked.

"I want to know if he was there at the festival tonight," she said, stubbornly.

Gintoki sighed. "Yeah, he was," he admitted. "Don't tell me that's why the Shinsengumi called you in. To catch Takasugi."

"Yeah," she admitted. "I knew I should have trusted my instinct more, but your smell distracted me."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"You and Takasugi smell too alike," she said, like it was obvious.

"That's just rude," he snapped. "I smell much better than that bastard, especially now that he seems to smoke that damn pipe all the time." He then considered what she had said. "Your sense of smell is that good?"

"I'm a Yato," she shrugged, as if it explained everything away. "It's how I knew who that blood belonged to. Well, that and your hand gave it away."

"My hand was inside the front of my kimono," said Gintoki, remembering that he'd concealed the injury from her and Okita when he'd seen them inspecting the scene of the crime at the festival.

"Yeah, but I am used to someone who would hide his injuries all the time," she said.

Gintoki thought that was an odd thing to know, but didn't mention it. "So, now that you know that Takasugi and I know each other, what are you going to do about it?" he asked, getting down to business.

"Why would I do anything?" she asked, appearing genuinely surprised at his question.

He sighed again. "The Bakufu wants Takasugi's head. Your little nose told you that I have known Takasugi for a long time. It's not that hard to make a connection," he said.

"Oh, you were a Jouishishi too?" she asked.

"Yes," said Gintoki, slightly exasperated. "I don't think the Shinsengumi will be happy to know someone like me isn't dead or behind bars."

"I'm not Shinsengumi, and my assignment concerns getting Takasugi, not any other Jouishishi," she said. "And besides, I saw the blood. It doesn't seem like the two of you are close anymore."

"That's enough for you?" asked Gintoki, disbelievingly.

"It is," she nodded firmly. "You wouldn't have done something like attack a festival where there are innocent civilians around. And I heard Hijikata-san say that you took down the last robot."

"Aren't you just a little too trusting?" asked Gintoki, rubbing the back of his head and looking away to hide his embarrassment.

"No," she said, with confidence. He wished she would tell him where she got it from. "My instincts can tell when a person's bad."

"Your instincts wanted to attack me the first time we met, remember?" he asked. He certainly did. The little miss poised to attack after taking a single look at him. It had been a while since he'd invoked that kind of response from someone.

"Yeah, but who you are as a person overrode what my instincts first assumed," she said, and it was strangely comforting to hear that from this little girl. "You must have seen a lot of war and bloodshed. Take it from someone born into the bloodiest race in the universe, a killer recognises a killer instantly. But my Papi says that even among killers, there are those who fight their instinct to do what's right. That's what gives me hope for someone like us."

She seemed embarrassed to say it, but Gintoki couldn't help the fond smile that appeared on his face at her words.

"You are very wise, Kagura-chan," he said.

"Of course," she said, at once. "I am extremely smart and beautiful and powerful."

Gintoki laughed. "So, what will you do now?" he asked.

Her cheerful demeanour vanished and she deflated a little. "I failed to get Takasugi. He was there, and I got distracted and failed my mission. So much for all my training," she muttered.

"Does the Shinsengumi know he was here?" he asked.

"No," she said. "They can assume, but without any concrete evidence, they'll probably write this one off."

"That means you didn't really fail," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"I know I failed, and that's enough," she said, and sighed. "Matsudaira will make a decision tomorrow, and I'll probably be asked to leave."

"You're disappointed about leaving the Shinsengumi?" asked Gintoki, slightly surprised.

"No, I mean, maybe," she said. "I'm definitely annoyed that Takasugi got away from me. That disappoints me more than anything."

"But it's likely Takasugi will return to Edo," said Gintoki.

"Did he say something to you?" she asked, perking up.

"The Shogunate is based here in Edo," said Gintoki. "They are the main focus of his hatred, you know."

"I would have thought it would be his sole focus," said Kagura.

Gintoki sighed, thinking back to Takasugi's words. "Maybe it was once," he said. "But now, Takasugi is more like a wild beast, wanting to destroy everyone and everything."

"Wild beasts need to be put down," she said, remembering Matsudaira's words.

"And will you be the one doing that?" he asked, uncharacteristically serious.

"It's what I have been ordered to do," she said. "Plus, if I engage with someone with his level of skill, that might be the only way to win."

"You don't sound like you want to do it," observed Gintoki.

"It's just hypocritical of me, I guess," she shrugged. "There's someone I know who's a lot like Takasugi, but if I come across him, I know I wouldn't want to kill him, no matter how dangerous he is."

Gintoki understood the feeling better than she thought, and her words made him feel a little bit better. "I don't know if I want to kill him either, but like you said, there might not be a choice," he said. "I know why he feels the way he does, even if I don't agree with it."

"That just makes it more complicated, doesn't it?" she nodded, and Gintoki wondered if their situations were indeed that similar.

They were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, haunted by people they weren't sure they wanted to kill or save.

"So, what will you do now? Give up on Takasugi?" asked Gintoki, finally.

She considered that, and then shook her head with determination. "Regardless of my feelings, I have been given a job to do. I will get Takasugi," she said, firmly.

"Even if the Shinsengumi no longer gives you the order?" he asked.

"He endangered civilians tonight, and it was a miracle things didn't turn out worse," she said. "If stopping him is what it takes to protect innocent people, then I will do it."

That made him smile. It would have been worrying if she had pursued Takasugi out of vengeance, or because he had escaped her grasp, but hearing that she wanted to stop a dangerous criminal and protect innocents told Gintoki exactly what he needed to know about her. It also became apparent that Yato or not, bloodiest race in the universe or not, she had a much purer heart than any killer he had ever come across.

"I think I'll stay in Edo for a while longer, regardless of whether the Shinsengumi need me to or not," she declared.

"To catch Takasugi?" he asked.

"Yes, if it means keeping Edo safe from him," she said, her face thoughtful. "I would like to protect something instead of just being asked to destroy."

"Then you should do it," encouraged Gintoki.

She smiled at him, her entire face lighting up with joy. "Can I stay here if the Shinsengumi fires me?" she asked.

"Oi, you want me to get lynched for living with an unmarried young woman under the same roof?" he asked.

"True," she said, after considering it a moment. "And it would be a pain if an old man like you fell in love with me or something."

"Who are you calling an old man, you damn brat?" he snapped, though they could both tell he wasn't really angry. "If you're done insulting me, I'd like to go to bed. It's almost morning."

"Fine, fine, I know old people need all the rest they can get," she said cheekily, as she stood up to leave. "Thank you," she added suddenly, her voice serious again.

"What for, exactly?" he asked.

She seemed to consider it. "Hearing me out," she said, finally. "And helping me make a decision. I really appreciate it."

Gintoki just nodded, unsure as to what he was supposed to say to that. She waved at him and left, leaping down onto the street instead of taking the stairs and walking away. He sighed as he closed and locked his door, wide awake despite being tired.

"Thank you, as well," he murmured to the empty room. "For showing this old man that there's still hope for killers like us."

* * *

Kagura hurried back to the Shinsengumi compound, feeling much better than she had after the mission gone wrong. Gone wrong, according to her, anyway. Talking with Gintoki had helped ease her mind and given her a better idea of things. It wasn't as if he had imparted some great wisdom or told her what to do, but speaking with someone like him who seemed to understand where she was coming from helped her figure things out for herself.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost did not dodge the sword that thrust towards her out of the dark alley. Fueled by pure instinct, she jumped back, and turned towards the alley, cursing the fact that she hadn't brought her umbrella with her when coming to visit Gintoki. To her surprise, the attacker was none other than the Sadist.

"What are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms in exasperation.

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing," he said, sheathing his sword. "What the hell are you doing sneaking out by yourself at this time of the night?"

"It's almost morning," she said.

"It wasn't morning when you left," he said.

Kagura glared at him. "Did you follow me the entire time?" she asked.

"When you're distracted you're really distracted, aren't you?" he asked, smirking annoyingly.

"Ugh, go away," she said, resuming her walk.

"Why were you going to see _danna_?" he asked, falling into step with her.

"What are you, my father?" she asked, irritated.

"I don't care if you are into old men, China," he said. "But I know it was _danna_ 's blood you found back then." Her surprise must have shown because he rolled his eyes. "He was favouring one of his hands and keeping it out of sight. Plus, I know _danna_ is strong enough to shatter swords. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"Right," said Kagura.

"So, was it Takasugi who attacked him?" he asked.

"No," she said. "He just got injured in the confusion."

"You don't have to lie to protect him, China," he said. "We already suspect his past might be more complicated, but the Shinsengumi is not going to pursue him, unless Hijikata-san gets bored or something. So, I'll ask again. Was it Takasugi who attacked him?"

Kagura sighed. "Yeah," she said.

Sougo looked impassive. "So we let him get away," he said. "That pisses me off."

"Imagine how I feel," she muttered.

"I don't have to, it's written all over your face," he said, smirking when she glared at him. "So, did _danna_ have any leads?"

"No," she said. "But he said that Takasugi will definitely return to Edo."

"Yeah," agreed Sougo. "We will have to make sure things don't go the way they did this time."

"I'll take responsibility," she said, with a sigh.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, looking at her like she was an idiot. "If you want to take responsibility, then help catch Takasugi."

"Well, yeah, but it's up to Matsudaira if I'll even be allowed to stay with the Shinsengumi," she said, stopping in her tracks.

"Did _danna_ feed you something to make you stupid?" he asked. "The mission was a success. Totsan will say the same. And we know Takasugi will be coming back here, so all we got to do is do our job and catch him when he does. Stop obsessing and let's go home."

Kagura stared at him. "Are you...trying to be nice?" she asked, inching away from him. "Did you eat something weird?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Shut up, China. I wasted my precious sleep time following you to Kabukicho," he said. "And besides, you can't leave the Shinsengumi yet."

Kagura looked at him in surprise. "Why's that?" she asked.

He grinned dangerously at her. "You and I still have a score to settle once we catch Takasugi," he said. "What makes you think you can escape me before then? Especially after you made me pay for all that food you ate on our date."

With a pleased look on his face, he began walking back to the compound. Kagura renewed her resolve to beat him into the ground once they caught Takasugi, and fell into step with him, just as the sun started rising over a brand new morning in Edo.

 **A/N End of Part 1. The story will continue in Part 2, so keep an eye out for the sequel!**


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